So it started with some clothes shrinking in size from a men’s medium to a women’s small, and despite my husband’s claims that I had intentionally shrunk his t-shirts to take them, I wasn’t behind the shrinking accident at all. Our cleaning lady, after much interrogation, has admitted to the crime. She uses white washing machine detergent for colored clothes, tortures clothes at 60 degrees celsius and dumps literally everything into the dryer; including our handmade Indian rug.

It turns out, however, she isn’t alone in her laundry bashing, many ladies and men out there do not know basic laundry rules. If there’s anything more important than picking the right garments for your shape, it is actually maintaining those garments right for your shape, otherwise you might just have to give them up to your niece.

The  right care not only prolongs your garments’ life, it also helps keep it looking neat, bright and, most importantly, fitting. So we decided we’ve had enough with the clothes-torturing and it is time we tell  you some of those basic laundry rules.Here goes it.

1. Separate: Separating colors doesn’t only apply to whites and blacks, you should wash dark colors separate from lighter ones and, of course, whites alone. I have decided that navy blue will go with the colored cycle and ended up with towels, undergarments and t-shirts dyed a beautiful shade of turquoise. Hey, I lucked out, but you may not be as lucky, and I was definitely unlucky turning my husband’s laundry into a candy-pink shade after I dumped a hot-pink shirt with his colored laundry.

Always wash blacks, navy blue, reds and similar dark or very bright colors alone and make a separate load for denim.

2. Choose your temperature wisely: Don’t depend on the machine to set the temperature for you, my machine’s default setting for cotton is 60 degrees, which can only be used with rather dirty whites, really, or when you need to sterilize your clothes. I would recommend using 40 degrees for most of your laundry loads, anything below doesn’t guarantee cleanliness and anything above may very well shrink your clothes.

3. Read the care label well: You know that little thing that annoy us and we end up cutting out? It’s actually there for a reason. Read the label closely and you will know what to do with it, if the label says hand wash only, the producers aren’t actually trying to make your life harder, they mean it.

The sign on the left indicates the maximum temperature this garment can be washed on and if there is a hand inside it, it means it can only be hand-washed. The triangle indicates whether you can bleach it with oxygen or not, depending on whether there is an X on it or not. The dots inside the iron sign indicates the heat you can iron it on and if it is crossed out then ironing is not advisable. A P in a circle means the item can only be dry-cleaned and a square with a dotted circle signals the temperature you can tumble-dry it on, if it is crossed out then you can only air-dry it.

Remove from machine immediately: When washing colored removing the laundry right after the cycle is over is crucial so colors don’t blend. But even if you’re washing whites, it is advisable to remove them immediately to prevent clothes from wrinkling.

Do not just toss them in: I find it useful when washing bigger items to lay them out in the machine so they are flat and unwrinkled, this way it doesn’t wrinkle as much during the wash and decreases the need, and time, for ironing.

Use the right soap: They don’t just have separate detergents for fun, it’s necessary that you use colored detergent for colors, white for whites and, this is a new addition to the market, black detergent for your blacks to keep the colors bright.White detergent, for instance, is made to be harsher on the garments to clean the whites well, but may cause fading in colored garments.

Hang it right: You do not want the laundry peg leaving a mark in the middle of your blouse. Always place the peg where there is a crease, for instance, secure t-shirts on the line from the armpit as opposed to the shoulders. Place the peg on the waistline or the crouch of shorts and pants as opposed to the middle of the leg.

It is also advisable to hang shirts and blouses on hangers to dry without deforming or wrinkling.

Shape it: You can easily manipulate clothes when they’re wet, if you’re washing wool and it shrunk a bit, simply tug and pull a little on it to bring it back to size. If the garments came out all wrinkly, straighten it out with your hands and put it back in shape.

The dryer isn’t for everything: The dryer, because it uses heat to dry, can shrink clothes. Make sure the label says you can tumble-dry it before you toss it in. I would advise limiting dryer’s use to underwear, sheets and some towels but not dressy garments.

Hang inside out: When air-drying your laundry, hang it inside out so the excruciating Egyptian sun doesn’t fade the colors out.